Draft-gear.



C. W. SHERMAN.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATlON FILED JULY 2:. I914.

Patented Oct. 31,1916.

' lNVENTEIR N WiTNEEIEEEI ATTIJRNEYE:

LIFTON W SHERMANi OF BUFFALO 201%? Application End In? 21, 1914,

Y '0 all whom "it may (JONGETILI Be it known that I CLIFTON Vb. 51mm MAN,.&I citizen of the United States, residing; at Biifl'nlo, in the county of Evin :mrl Hint of New York, hove invented new and nnefui IlllPl'QVfilllQIli'flgil'l DmiftGears, of whim the following isn specificotion.

This invention relates to a friution di'z fi goal: onshock absorbing mechanism which is: more particularly designed for use in milwoy cars for the purpose of relieving the frame or body of the cm from undno iii'molz: or strain during the buffing operation 1.5m" coupling the cars and during tho puifing op oration while: drawing the mm.

It is the purpose F this i!i\.'flif 'm in provide a draft gear of thin (:hanwivr in whisk the number of parts is reduce-d so no to in the some more L'UIHPHCL and capable mf he prminced at less post without rednsin; strength or saci'ifioin any of 81% on orshockabsorbing oapucity of the guru:

In the accompanying drawings:Figaro 1 i535: vertical longitudinal"section of my bin proved friction draft gear taken in line 1 Fig 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken iniine 2-+2 Figw'i Fig; 3 is a vertioni transversosection taken in ii'ne Fig. Simihu"character-s of reierencn inciicnio corresponding parts throughout the several views Although the bofly or frame of tho our Whioh is adapted to receive my improved fi'iotirm draft gear may be variously con structed that shown in the flfziwings; 9min able and ('mnprimas two longitudinal draft silis 1, 1 Lire/faxnbkv cons'zrnciwl of clmnnvl iron, front cross pieces 2 3 connecting H front parts of the sills and 2: rear crow; 'riec-n 4 connectlng the rear parts of these 5111s,

5 represents fheiieud of the car coupler whichis arrangd at the front end of the car and provided with a longitudinal shank G projectingrenrwnrdly from the hem and arranged between the front parts of the car sills i The\ inner opposing sides of the car silis are provided with cheek plate-s or I-cinfoming bwrs 7 which are preferably cnngtructeri of cast. "steel andsecurer1 fo' the adjacent parts of'the sills by means of rivets 8, as shown, or othenisuitablefmezuis. In tho from; ends ofthesemheek plflfieg nnd tho adjacent [parts oi thb sills tl'i'ese momma are provided with coinciding front iongitudinal slots'fi. "At the rear ends of tile Spwifsmtinn of Lnttorai Fine/at.

in Hm form of Pnimiimi mm 31, 1 916. ma 1%, 852,1?2

i, wrong-ii moi wow; Sou mm parts of Mn: cheek. gilmzvsi.

n m v -Lion vyiinum: tunuifimlinad slot i 11;: iuplvmmu J m-qt siilnv mini" vuji-svio w draft; arms or J- ii o1 i'iwh provnimi with a rear iongihuii'noi mom if. This friction cylinder and its front :uvirear (ii-1ft arms are prsfombiy former} iniegraiiv of T'R-St steel.

18 TGPY5QD$S :1 front foiiower which arranged between the from :Jh'nft arms in rear of time conpieishank and which is profnrahiy construct 1'16 of oust steel in the form of :1 block and providaad with :1 'kmnitwlixml slot or opening 19 "which RIXtPIliif-f tronsvornely from wide to sirs thm'f ol.

20 Pepi: my was foilmvm" whiz-ii ranged bet on the a-ndmfl an), which is pro :i'ubiv 1: 1m ,rIH'i'e 'I vi a-1w Howl; and I 'Y'UJifiiWi n v iongitndinnl Hui 11 opening I (amending: tinnswr-sviy iw'osel aid? in. aifio of this fol- Eoww.

The: W821i in inner nods of tin? choekphitos T are provided with 'fmwfliinjv f ncing .shoul Gem 40 which we min m-(i to in? ei'igngred by the draft low it? of flu friction vylinc ler and the roar feiiiower 90 in the i-mzrmost position of these parts. as shown in Fig. 2.

i'wepresentw a front key having, preferably, the form of n flail plate which extends twinsmrssel v thrm'lgh n 910i 23 in the rear m. of tho ("17 113197 dumk and through the from slots 14 of Mo front draft arms, and slots in tho cheek plates and sills This ififflli' kw as Widens the longitudinal slot or opening in the coupl r shank so that the front and I'm-Ii" edges of this key at the centrai part tliel'oof engage with the front and rear ends of tho sic-fin the coupler iahzmk and these parts are woinpellerl to more forwardly and baclivardly together. 'llniae portiom; of the front key extending through the front slots of the front draft arm: are of less Width than the length of said slots so that this key and the front draft a min, at times. are free to more independently of aaelrothr-r in a direction lengtlni'iar of the car. The aloha ll in the front parta of the cheek plates ,and the ailla are of such a length as coin 'iared with the width of those portions of die front key arranged in the FEIIUC that this key is always free to more forwardly and haclnvardl'y on the cheek platesand sills either While the friction gear is subjected to huffing strains or polling strains. Under normal conditions this key does not engage either the front or the rear node of the front slots in the cheek plates and sills hut merely slides therein for the purpose of supporting and guiding the com ph-r ahanh. the front draft arms and the park ansoriated therewith.

:35 mg wot; an intermediate key also profe-rahlr eonstrncted in the form of a flat plate which. extends through the slot or opening: of the front follower the inter mediate slots to Of'tllQ front draft arms and the intermediate slots ll of the cheek plates and. sills. The width of this key in the di rertion of the length of the car is less than the length of theslot in the front follower and the internicaliate slots in the front draft arms and the cheek plates and sills.

reprav ants a rear key constructed preferably in the form of a flat plate and extending: transw-rsely through the slot or opening of the rear follower, the slots 17 of the rear draft arms and the rear slots 11) of the Klitllt lates and sills. The length of the slot or opening in the rear follower in equal to the width of the rear key so that the halter and the rear follower always more tn neiln-r and the slot of the rear draft arm's aiiaim equal to the width of the rear key so that thin her tits snugly in the rear fol io rr and rear draft arms and thaw parts are compelled to more together in the rlirrw Lion of the length of the ltlli The rear nloin I are of a length Iii if] the cheek plates and sills irrealer than the width of the rear key paw mg llHflH ll the same so that thi he) at times i;--. tree to move lengthwiao in these rah-an. luarh of the keys is confined against lateral diaplaeement hy means of retaining pins 2% or similar fasteninga extending vertirallr through openings in opposite ends of thin liar and engaging in outer sides of the sills an ahown in Figs. 2 and Within the rear part of the friction eylinder and engaging with the front sidr of the rear follower a yielding lni lllbel'it l' spring element which preferably comprises an outer rel-ivy spring: section 27 and a light inner s ning section 28 arranged within the outer spring rim-Lion both of these spring, serlionn lining preferably -onatrncled in the form of noiln. fithin ll r front end of the [notion ovlindrr and helm-en the rear side of the front follower and the front end of the spring :37. in is arranged a wedginr device whereby the horr of the frirtion cylinder is engaged for the purpow of obtaining frictional reniatam'e in addition to the fairing,- reaislanre of mid BPl'lHfl both during the hullin; and pallin; operations of the ear. This friction derive n'i-feralily UUHlPJlSQS a plurality of sets of friction shoes and wedges said wedges and said sets of shoes,

being arranged alternately and in tandem within the front part of the friction (rylirh der. In the preferred organization of this edging derive the same romprises a net of rear frirtion shoes ill 'whirh engage their outer sides ith the hore of the cylinder and their rear ends with the front end of the spring eleinenh a rearwardlv tapering; wedge :30 arranged within the rylinder in front of the H'Hl H'twUl show and engaging its inclined fare. with eorrespondiugly inclined fare; 31 on the front ends of the rear shoes. :1 out of front friction shoes 32 engaging their outer aides with the here of the r: \;linder while their transverse rear ends en gage with the transverse front end of the rear wedge, and a front wedge 34 having a transverse front face which engages with the transverse rear fare 'of the front follower and having its rearwardly inclined or converging faces iv-ugaging with correspondingly inclined fares 36 at the front ends of the front set of friction shoes. as shown. in Fig.

In the normal inoperative position of the parts of the frietion draft gear the front key 22 engages ith the front endsof the front slots 14 in, the front draft arms While the opposite ends of this; key are arranged in the ventral parts of the slots 9 in the cheek plates and sills, the intermediate key 25 engagirrs with [lll rear end of the slot in the front follower and with the front ends of the intermediate am 15, 11. in the front draft arms, and the rheek plates and sills, the rear key 26 engages with the rear ends of the rear slots it in the cheek plates and hills, and the draft arms it) and rear follower 20 engage with the rear shoulders 40, as shown in Fig. \Vhen the coupler is pushed nairwardly during a buffing action, Huch an or-eurs when coupling two cars, the frirtion evlinder is held against backward niorement by reason of the rear key 26 abutting against the rear ends of. the rear hlflth ill in the cheek plates and sills and the draft arms 16 and rear follower 20 abutting against the shoulders 4-0 while the front key 2; slides rearwardly in the front slots 96f the rherk plates and sills, and the front follower slides rearwardly on the intermediate key. During this movement of the coupler and front follower the front and rear wedges by their wedging engagement with the front and rear set of friction shoes cause the latter to be pressed outwardly into frictional engagement with the bore of the friction cylinder so as to frictionally resist the buffing action and as the rear set of shoes moves rearwardly the spring 2T, 28 is compressed and resists the boiling strains, the combination of these two resistances operating to cushion the buffing blow when coupling two cars. \Vhile the car is being pulled the front key by engagement with the front. ends of the front slots 14 in the front draft arms causes the cylinder and the rear key and rear follower connected therewith to be drawn forwardly while the front follower remains at rest by reason of the rear end of its slot 19 abutting against the rear edge of the intermediate key 25 and the front edge of this key abutting against the front ends of the intermediate slots 15 in the cheek. plates and sills, during which time the two sets of brake shoes are pressed outwardly into frictionalengagement with the bore of the friction cylindcrby the wedging action against the same of the wedges and the spring 27, 28 is compressed between the rear set of friction shoes and the rear follower, whereby the pulling strains are cushioned and the shock attending the same is absorbed.

As shown in Fig. .2, the angle of wedging engagement between the rear wedge and the rear set of shoes which are nearest to the spring is more acute than the angle of wedging engagement between the front wedge and the front set of shoes which are farther removed from the spring, thereby causing the amount of frictional shock absorbed by the near setof shoes to be relatively increased, and the amount of shock absorbed by the remoter set to be relatively diminished, and the amount of frictional shockabsorbed by the several sets of shoes to be substantially equalized owing to the progressive increase in the acuteness of then wedging angle between successive sets of-contncting wedges and shoes toward the spring. Furtherl'nore, the frictional bearing surfaces of the rear set of shoes against the bore of the cylinder is smaller than the frictional bearing surface of the front set of shoes against the same, whereby the frictional bearing surfaces of the several sets of shoes is successively increased in area away from the spring and the amount of frictional shock absorbed and the intensity of pressure against the frictional surfaces is substantially equalized,

In the construction of this friction draft gear the usual friction cylinder and draft yoke which have heretofore commonly been made as separate members are in the pres ent construction so organized that but one part or member practically performs the function of two of such memb rs made separately, thereby not only reducing the cost of manufacture but also ronoi'nizing in the amount of space used and also produc ing a much stronger and durable construe tion than the friction gears heretofore in use as well. as reducing the liability of brcak age and the repairs incident thereto.

I claim as my invention:

A friction draft gear comprising longitudinal sills having front interlnediatc and rear longitudinal slots, a friction cylinder arranged between said sills and having front and rear draft arms. said front arms having front and intermediate longitudinal slots and said rear arms having rear longitudinal slots, a coupler having a shank pro- 'vided with an opening a key immovable lengthwise in the opening of said shank and movable lengthwise in the front slots of said front arms and sills. a front follower having a longitudinal slot a key movable lcngtlh wise in the slot of said front follower and the intermediate slots of said front arms and the sills, a rear follower provided with i an opening. a key immovable lengthwise in the openings of said rear follower and said rear arms and movable lengthwise in the rear slots of said sills, and cushioning means interposed between said front and rear followers.

Witness my hand this 13thday of July, 

